The What-Ifs

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"I understand that you want your sister to be happy, Fyre, but both Remi and I are concerned about you too. The dinner can wait, you, however… This kind of environment is not good for your sensitive condition." Jonathan reasoned out because even if he does manage to outsmart the people outside, he still wouldn't be able to focus enough at the dinner with Fyre being in this mess.

"I said I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me anymore." Fyre insisted, still trying to push Jonathan. But unlike earlier where he managed to push the Alpha towards the front door, this time Jonathan didn't budge and he turned around and held the Omega's shoulders as if he was going to lecture him, and indeed he did.

"You're not fine. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You look like a total mess. Obviously, you've been crying and haven't had a proper sleep for the last 3 days. Are you even eating properly? When was the last time you had a proper meal? You're telling me to leave but seeing you like this just makes me more determined to get you out of here." Jonathan lectured. He was genuinely worried.

"But I'm really fine," Fyre mumbled guiltily. He admittedly was crying and hadn't had a proper sleep for the last 3 days, feeling anxious about the fact that people are waiting for him outside. Also, the last meal he could remember was his cup noodles last night. In fact, he hasn't eaten anything except cup noodles and some bread. Normally, he would order take-out but obviously, in his situation, he simply couldn't do that.

"No, you're not and you can't convince me otherwise, so you need to relax and let me handle the situation until Zi arrives. Remi would kill me anyway if she learned that I'd left you alone like this, just for that damn dinner." Jonathan said firmly. He refused to believe that Fyre was fine.

Listening to him mentioning Tian Zi again, Fyre's eyes went wide. Right now, he didn't think he could handle seeing the Young Alpha. He had been the first person that kept on calling him since yesterday, leaving him texts and voice messages, asking about his condition and whether he was fine or not. Fyre hated to admit it, but he was really touched. But, he had been too shy to answer his calls and messages with him being in such a mess.

He didn't know why but for some reason, he felt like if Tian Zi was standing in front of him now, he would cry and run into his arms. After being saved by the Alpha a lot of times in his worse times, he'd probably developed an emotional attachment to him. Even though he didn't want it, he felt safer when Tian Zi was there. Whenever he felt like he was in a pinch and needed help, the first person that would pop into his mind was the Young Alpha.

"Wait. What? He's coming? Tian Zi's coming? Wasn't he in Hawaii?" Fyre asked in a panic. He didn't want to look pathetic. He didn't even know why he cared so much but it felt like a lot of his hidden emotions would burst out at the sight of Tian Zi.

"He was but he's worried about you. He was the one who asked me to go check on you while he flies back. If not for him, Remi and I wouldn't have known. He said his whole family was worried sick about you as well." Jonathan replied like it was a given, to which Fyre wasn't able to respond. And again, when he first met Tian Zi, he never thought they would become close enough to worry about each other. He didn't ask for the Alpha to care for him. But still, his heartbeat quickened, feeling touched.

"Anway, let me just call the police to get those people off of your property and also escort us to a safer place. We can meet Zi and your sister there," Jonathan added, seeing that Fyre was no longer answering or forcing him to the door. He quickly fished out his phone from his wallet and dialed 911, which he should have done before coming to Fyre's place. Honestly, he wanted to ask why Fyre hadn't called the police instead if he couldn't or didn't want to ask for help from his friends and sister. But he chose to stay silent about it because he noticed that Fyre had been through a lot by just seeing his appearance now. The Omega must have had his own reasons.

"Okay. They'll be here soon. Anyway, have you eaten something? Do you want me to cook something for you?" Jonathan asked softly. Even though he had never cooked before, he did understand the logic behind it. He didn't think it would be that difficult to cook if it was bacon and eggs.

"Do you even know how to cook?" As expected, as soon as Fyre heard Jonathan's offer, one of his brows instantly rose as he looked at the Alpha in doubt. There's just no way a nobleman like him had ever held pots and pans before. He was raised to only eat every meal he had and never to lift a finger when it came to cooking and house chores.

"I bet you don't even know what a spatula looks like." Fyre mocked.

"Fyre, you're too much. I do know what a spatula looks like. I've seen your sister cook and I also watch cooking shows sometimes." Jonathan replied sounding a little offended, but that quickly disappeared as he ushered Fyre to lead him to the kitchen. Fyre had no choice but to do so because he didn't want the Alpha to find the kitchen himself and end up burning his place down trying to cook something. Additionally, he didn't think he had enough food to cook after not being able to come back for more than a week due to the events surrounding the wedding.

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At the same time, at the place where Remi was working...

After her call with Jonathan, Remi was about to call a taxi when a white and heavily tinted vehicle parked in front of her, blocking her view. She was confused as to why at first, but when a man in a suit stepped out and neared her, Remi clutched on her bag feeling alarmed.

"Don't be afraid, Ms. Long. My Mistress just wants to talk to you in private." the man said with a bow before he extended his hand towards the back passenger seat where there was another man in a suit opening the door for her. Remi peeked inside, wondering who the man was talking about, and saw the silhouette of a woman inside the dim-lit interior of the car wearing sunglasses that further hid her features.

"Uhmm, are you sure you got the right person? I don't know this lady at all." Remi replied reluctantly, still gripping her bag. She was about to decline the request when the woman in the car finally shifted her attention to Remi and removed her sunglasses. Remi instantly froze on the spot as she recognized the woman. It was Marjorie Woods who had come to visit her before at her apartment, telling her about Jonathan's real identity and asking whether she was worthy enough to be with the Alpha.

"Have you forgotten about me already?" Marjorie asked with a faint eerie smile on her lips. "Alex canceled the dinner meeting, but I feel like we should talk again. I'd like to introduce you to someone as well. Will that be okay with you?" Marjorie added, leaving Remi no choice in the end but to nod. Remi got into the car, not saying anything. She said before that she was going to fight for her love for as long as Jonathan did the same, but upon meeting Marjorie again, she felt disheartened, especially remembering how her call with Jonathan ended just now.

"Does Jonathan know about this?" Remi asked, her voice almost non-existent due to how quiet it sounded.

"Do you think he would allow me to meet you alone like this?" Marjorie chuckled.

"Then why are you doing this?" Remi asked again as she summoned more courage.

"Isn't it obvious? Ms. Long, I still don't think you are the right person for my brother. He's someone who will inherit our family's title. He cannot afford to marry someone who has a commoner background. I told you this before." Marjorie said. Her tone was soft, but it cut deep on Remi because she couldn't deny Marjorie's words. They were all facts. She was stubbornly insisting herself in a place where she does not belong.

"And there's no doubt that Alexander likes you now. But it does not guarantee that it will remain long-lasting. Alex is known for falling in love and falling out of love quite quickly. I can see how he cares about you now but slowly, you'll realize all of that will change. And then one day, you'll just look back at this moment and say I was right. I am also doing this for your own good, Ms. Long. You simply don't belong in our world." Marjorie added again. It hurt Remi so much that it almost brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly sucked up the pain because that was what she had decided.

While it was true that she did not belong to Jonathan's world, she will try her best to be worthy. And when the time comes when Jonathan realizes he doesn't love her anymore, she will be proud to say that it was not her who gave up; that she didn't have anything to regret because she fought until the end. She'd rather hurt than give up and wonder every night, thinking of the what-ifs.

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To be continued...